5 Moments That Prove George Lucas Is Actually A Movie Genius

It’s become very easy to dismiss George Lucas. Despite the fact that he was the original mind behind Star Wars, the 71-year-old’s constant tinkering with the first movies, the disappointment of the prequels, and the fact that he created Jar-Jar Binks meant that when it was announced that J.J. Abrams was replacing him as the co-writer and director of the seventh instalment to the universe fans were euphoric.

But let’s not forget that George Lucas, for all of his faults, is still a bona-fide cinematic great, who, in his roles as a writer, director, producer, studio head, marketer, entrepreneur, and negotiator, has always excelled. Which is probably why, according to Forbes, Lucas is worth around $5.2 billion. And so, just to remind people of George Lucas’ movie prowess, here are 5 moments from his career that prove he should still be regarded as a movie genius.

5. The Opening 5 Minutes – Star Wars: A New Hope

From the first blast of John Williams’ bombastic score via the captivating scrawl that immediately gets us up to date with the goings on in a galaxy far, far away, all the way up until to the glorious unveiling of a behemoth space ship that seems to go on forever and ever and ever, the opening sequence of Star Warsis not only storytelling at its simplest, but it’s also audacious, grandiose and glorious escapism. Even though Star Wars was made on the relatively low budget of $11 million, Lucas was able to stretch it to an extraordinary length to create an enchanting and realistic world that was populated with Wookies, Jedis, and whatnots, which is perfectly set-up in the film's first few minutes.